Many Marathi actors paid tribute to Deshpande known for her spontaneity and simplicity.

Apart from acting in the plays written by acclaimed playwrights such as Vijay Tendulkar, Deshpande had featured in several Marathi and Hindi films and TV serials.

In Hindi, the noteworthy films in which she appeared included “Bhumika” (1977), “Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan” (1978) and “Gaman” (1978). In recent years, she had appeared in Gauri Shinde-directed “English-Vinglish”.

She was associated with “Rangayan”, a pioneering Marathi experimental theatre group, along with Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta, and Satyadev Dubey.

In 1971, she had co-founded the theatre group “Awishkar” with her husband Arvind Deshpande (who died in 1987).